


BanG Dream, Girls Band One-Shots

by Binette



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-04 20:11:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20476799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Binette/pseuds/Binette
Summary: Various Bandori characters and their pairings - all just as gay as the next. I don't really have a preference when it comes to the pairings, though I am fond of both Kaoru and all of HaroHapi in general. That said, I like each of the bands, though I can't promise to update this very frequently; I'm not great at keeping to a schedule, and I'm busy with other projects that may prevent me from writing as much. Quick side note, this can also be found on my Wattpad (TheRabbitOnTheMoon39), I'm just seeing which site I prefer using is all. With that out of the way, hope you enjoy these.





	1. Kaoru/Misaki

"So, it would be great if you could find the time to… Kaoru? Hey!"  
"Just a moment, Okusawa."  
Misaki sighed, growing more and more impatient. She rarely came to visit Haneoka, having the rest of Hello, Happy World's members at Hanasakigawa already. But whenever she did, it seemed as though Kaoru was surrounded by a growing group of students that followed her everywhere. Obviously, this was no surprise; she was regarded as one of the most popular students in the whole school, and it was clear to see why. Misaki had always thought (internally) that she was a talented actress and found her to be a reliable member of the band - often a bit airheaded, similar to Kokoro and Hagumi, but thoughtful all the same. Ordinarily, she would have been able to grab her attention by now, but Kaoru seemed to be under siege by her entourage.

"Now, now, my dear kittens," Kaoru surveyed the starry-eyed students surrounding her, "It is a shame I cannot remain here and entertain you all, but I have important business to attend to." A collective sigh of disappointment resounded throughout the drama studio, and she laughed airily. "Please, don't look so downcast. I promise you all, I won't stray too far if I can help it." Satisfied, the girls all filed out of the door, scattering rapid 'Goodbye's in her direction. By now, Misaki was ready to call it a day and try talking to Kaoru tomorrow, seeing as she appeared intent on bidding each student farewell. But, sensing this, Kaoru tore herself from them and smiled warmly at her as she made her way over.

"You took your time." Misaki began, "If I spoke to you when I first got here, I could have gone by now."  
"Ah, my apologies," Kaoru bowed slightly, causing Misaki to roll her eyes, "But it is rare for me to ignore my fans, even in the direst circumstances." She rose, and caught Misaki's annoyed expression. "Is something the matter?"  
"Well, yeah, you- Nevermind. What I was trying to tell you earlier was that Kokoro's decided to have a surprise performance close to Ryuseido next week, she asked me to find out if you had plans for anything then." Misaki explained, "Sorry it's such short notice. You know how spontaneous she is." Kaoru laughed again, checking a calendar on the studio's wall.  
"Ah, such impulsiveness is rather potent, wouldn’t you say?"  
"No. It's a pain."  
"How so? Does her excitement not impact you at all?" She questioned, "Admittedly her nature can be a bit overwhelming at first, but her attitude is to be admired."  
Misaki paused with a knitted brow, thinking. "It's… unusual." Kaoru nodded, a knowing smile on her face.  
"Often are things that garner the most fascination."  
"… What?" Misaki shook her head rapidly. She knew fine well that Kaoru likely had no idea what that meant, but couldn't help the slight blush that crept across her face, "Stop being so distracting. Can you make it?"  
"Whether I had plans or not, I wouldn't neglect my dear band members for the w-"  
"Great, I'll be off then." Misaki swiftly turned to leave, but as she did, Kaoru gently caught her arm.  
"You're leaving so soon?" She implored, the smile on her face not enough to hide her disappointment, "I'd hoped to talk some more with you."  
Misaki didn't try to hide her surprise. "Why's that? I'm not the most interesting person, you know."  
"Is that so?" Kaoru laughed again, "I doubt that severely; I've encountered many a person like yourself, and each one of them carried their own uniqueness."  
"So, what you're saying is I'm nothing special."  
"… But- That's not really-" Kaoru paused, trying to backtrack, "No- No, you see, they were all-"  
Misaki sighed, "If you've met so many people like myself, then I doubt you'd miss out on anything by spending more time with me. I just came to tell you about next week, that's all." She began to walk away from Kaoru once more, ignoring the strange twisting sensation in her stomach. "Besides, you should know by now I'm no-one special-"  
"Ah." Kaoru's panic had disappeared, and she appeared confident once more, "But Misaki- without you, we would never have met Michelle."

And there it was. Her seemingly single reason for being a part of Hello, Happy World anyway. No, forget the 'seemingly'; it was. Misaki wasn't necessarily wanted. Nobody there asked for her, worried about her, spare the odd few times Kanon wanted to check in on her. Besides that, Michelle remained the one that mattered. The mascot that had slowly worn away at her patience the whole time she'd been with the band, the one she was obligated to parade around as whilst everyone else was able to perform as themselves. Despite this, it wasn't this aspect of dressing as Michelle that bothered Misaki. No, what bothered her, was her bandmate's inability to grasp that both Misaki and Michelle were the same person. Once again, spare Kanon, it was Kokoro, Hagumi and Kaoru who sincerely believed that a bright pink, walking, talking bear had decided to DJ for their band. It was difficult to believe. Even more difficult to put up with. Misaki wasn't typically one for praise, giving or receiving, but there was some part of her - a large part of her - that was waiting for recognition. To be seen as herself, plain and present, instead of being forced behind the same metaphorical and physical mask every time she performed. And now, Kaoru wanted to celebrate that. 'Without you, we would never have met Michelle'.

_Without Michelle, meeting you would have been pointless._

"… Of course that's all you three think of me." Misaki said quietly, trying to control her voice, hand pressed to the backdoor.  
"Pardon?" Kaoru frowned, "I'm not sure that you under-"  
"I understand perfectly!" She snapped, facing Kaoru with abrupt anger, "That's all I am to you, all I've ever been! I've never been the one you wanted to see. It's like I'm- some bridge you have to cross whenever you need Michelle."  
"No, that's not true." Kaoru said firmly, striding across the room. It was clear to Misaki that her tone had changed. "You can't believe that we-"  
"I know that's what you all think." Misaki declared, "I-" She pushed the door open, a cold breeze blowing through, "I'm useless to you without her." She walked fast out of the door, and faster home. Whether Kaoru followed her or not, she didn't know. The last thing she needed right now was a string of inspirational quotes said by someone who didn't even understand them, and as she reached her front door and checked behind her, Misaki found her street to be empty. She'd either stayed in the studio, or followed her for a while before giving up. Misaki wasn't sure which of those she'd prefer to be true.

That evening went by quicker than usual, with Misaki's thoughts taking up most of her time. Normally, she would have spent some time with her brother and sister, but she knew that she was likely to snap at them if she did right now, so it was probably best to stay in her room and cool off for a bit. It was rare for her to lose her temper, even when her bandmates pushed her to her limit. And if she was honest with herself, Misaki could tell that what she interpreted Kaoru's statement as was likely not what she was thinking. From Kaoru's perspective, Michelle was their friend who helped perform and carry out live shows, just like any other member. And Misaki was…

Sighing, she took out her phone, and noticed a few missed calls - all from Kanon. But since there were no messages, she assumed it wasn't urgent; if Kanon was lost or needed her help, she knew to do both. Misaki was notorious for missing notifications. What was more likely was that Kaoru had explained what had happened in the studio to Kanon, which would no doubt have her worried. Normally Misaki might have tried to call her back and reassure her, but right now, she was exhausted. Collapsing back onto the bed, she tried her best to forget all that had happened and get some sleep, so that tomorrow could go on as usual.

But of course, Kaoru wouldn't allow that. This became evident the moment Misaki woke up the next day, her phone screen lit up with a recent message. Asking to meet up outside CiRCLE, she found it difficult to come up with an excuse to say no with. Defeatedly, she agreed to meet up around lunchtime, her anger from the day before dissolved overnight. By now, she was just tired. And hungry. And growing increasingly more nervous as time went on. After eating breakfast and getting herself ready, Misaki's thoughts began to build up again. She knew that something was different about Kaoru's tone - her whole character - but that alone was clear yesterday. She seemed more concerned than her regular persona could convey; being an actress, she could just as easily have been pretending to care the whole time she was there. Shaking her head, Misaki carried on walking down the path from her house. Those kinds of thoughts made her feel even worse than she already did, and the twisting feeling in her stomach returned with a vengeance.

Nearing CiRCLE, Misaki caught a flash of purple sitting at one of the tables outside of the live house. Well. 'Flash' may be an understatement. Her hair was unmissable even on the most miserable of days. As she approached the table, Kaoru lifted her head and gave a small wave. Misaki couldn't stop herself returning the gesture with a frown; Kaoru's usual smile and enthusiastic greeting were absent.  
"I'm glad to see you again, Okusawa." Kaoru said, almost hesitantly, "How are you faring?"  
"I'm fine." Sitting herself down opposite to Kaoru, she began almost immediately, "Look, I'm not one for all this emotional stuff, so if you're just here to say sorry or something then it's honestly fine with-" Kaoru held up a hand, abruptly cutting her off. After she did, an employee from the live house brought over two cups of what looked like coffee. "Oh. Thank you." The girl smiled and left, as Kaoru handed Misaki one of the mugs.  
"I trust you enjoy coffee?"  
"Oh, yeah, I love it. Forgot to make one this morning, actually. Did you have one?" She asked, and Kaoru shook her head.  
"Far too bitter for my liking. I prefer sweeter drinks. I opted for a hot chocolate, myself." That's surprising, Misaki thought, taking a careful sip of the fresh coffee. "But back to the matter at hand." Placing her own mug to one side, Kaoru looked down at the table. "Misaki. All that you said yesterday was true."

Misaki stared down into her mug. She should have expected an answer like that. "Yeah, I thought so."  
"For far too long, we have taken your friendship for granted."  
"Well, that’s-" Misaki stopped, caught off guard, "Wait, what?"  
"Please, allow me to speak freely." Kaoru said, looking directly at her. She realised she didn't need permission for that, right? "To begin with, I must first re-examine my statement yesterday. By no means was I trying to undermine you as a person by comparing you to Michelle."  
"Yeah, I figured as much. It just didn't hit me until I got back. That was my fault for over-analysing I guess."  
"No, not at all. If I may, I must confess something." Again with the asking permission. "You know as well as I do the number of fans that surround me, not only at Haneoka. Yes, I see your expression - and understand it better than before. But I fear that in my efforts to appease their kind words and praise with my own attention, I failed to show my appreciation for not only you, but the rest of Hello, Happy World as well."  
"Ah, I mean, I wouldn't go that far-"  
"Just a moment, Okusawa." Kaoru's expression suddenly shifted, and a newfound determination crossed over her face, "This cannot stand. I joined this band to spread only happiness, not just among our fans, but to my friends as well. And yet, I allowed myself to disregard your own feelings, all to reach for a feeble compliment to hide my own incompetence." Misaki couldn't tell what shocked her more, how bluntly Kaoru was speaking to her, or the fact that she was using all of those words correctly. "For that, I am truly sorry, Okusawa. I hope you can forgive my actions."

After all that I'd be crazy not to, she wanted to say, but instead gave Kaoru a smile and nodded. "Of course. Though I'll admit I was at fault for overreacting a bit." Clasping her hands around the mug, she found it difficult to look Kaoru in the eyes. "I- I know that Michelle is a vital part of the band. And I…" She had to choose her words carefully. Now was not the time for a Misaki-Michelle switcheroo talk. "Really- _Really_ enjoy when you're all on stage together. Even if she can't always, you know, be herself around you guys- Michelle loves being with you all. Performing or not, she-" Unable to stop herself in time, Misaki felt a tear roll down her cheek, "She needs you all to know how important you are to her." Kaoru instinctively reached forward, wiping the tear away. Her hands were warm, and just as instinctively, Misaki held it in her own. "And I really hope you know what it means for her to be with you." Kaoru smiled, her own eyes looking cloudy as well.  
"Of course we do. All of us are thankful for her presence. And, hopefully, you will now recognise how thankful we are for you, Misaki. You claim that Michelle is 'vital' for our group, and yet you fail to see just how important you yourself are. You book our shows, compose the majority of our songs, organise our meetings-" She paused. "And keep Kokoro in relative sensibility." Misaki laughed, properly this time, and the blush that came across Kaoru in that instant was surely due to the cold, despite the sunlight hitting her square in the face.

The rest of the morning was spent outside the live house, the two girls going back and forth between their studies, their life at home, and (most prominently) the band.  
"Well, I have two siblings," Misaki continued, her coffee mug almost empty now, "I normally try and keep them in line when I can, so that comes in handy when I deal with Hagumi and Kokoro." Intrigued, Kaoru nodded, leaning forward with her elbows resting on the table.  
"I wasn’t aware you had any brothers or sisters." She remarked, and Misaki frowned slightly.  
"Yeah, I don't bring them up a bunch. But they don't cause trouble too often, so it's fine taking care of them. I assume you don't have any?"  
"No, not a one." Kaoru sighed longingly, "Ah, to have someone to share my love of the theatre with…" Rolling her eyes, Misaki asked if she wanted to order anything else. "Ah! I lost track of time. My apologies. No, I don't require anything else." Rising from the table, she looked to the sky, "As Shakespeare once said, 'Time is of the essence." He did not. Misaki also stood up, but looked down at the table as she did so, to see her… hand. Still holding onto Kaoru's. Okay. "Is something the matter, my kitten?"  
"Don’t call me that. Did you know I was still, uh… holding your hand?"  
"Hm? But of course." A knowing look in her eye, Kaoru took a step closer to Misaki. "You had no intention of letting go, and neither did I." At last, Misaki found the source of her frequent blushing, and couldn't say she disliked it.  
"Well, I do now."  
"Fair enough."

Reaching the bottom of the street, the two found that they had to part ways.  
"Well, thanks for inviting me out… I had a great time. Really." Misaki admitted, her smile nowhere near as reluctant. Kaoru nodded, just as glad.  
"I'm happy to have brought back your smile, Okusawa. I hope it remains until we next meet."  
"Well, that'll be tomorrow. Practice. Ryuseido."  
Kaoru blinked. "Right." Bowing slightly once again, (her companion finding it just as needless) she gave her what was certainly a wink and walked away, leaving a bemused Misaki on the street corner. As she began her walk back home, she found that it would indeed be a chore to wipe away the smile on her face. But she knew that even if it were to fade, the feeling of Kaoru's hand in her own would be a difficult sensation to forget.


	2. Sayo/Tsugumi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely pleased with how this one turned out, but it seems alright for now. I've never put too much thought into Sayo/Tsugu, but I had a sudden urge to write one of my own - as I mentioned prior, expect any future updates to be sparse.

For a summer day, the weather was being terribly harsh. Just a few hours ago there had been warnings of light rain, which had since malformed into dim storm clouds, thunder resounding throughout the town. Safe inside of the café, Tsugumi tried her best to ignore the havoc from outside and carried on washing the plates from earlier - normally afternoons would be the busiest, but the bad weather clearly wasn't inviting anyone anytime soon. That thought in mind, Tsugumi stacked the plates aside, and wandered over to one of the empty tables; she had plenty of choice, the café devoid of customers. Tiredly slumping into the seat, she rubbed her eyes and held them shut for a moment, glad to have just a few minutes of rest. It was then, of course, that the café doors swung open with a hasty bang. 

The bell swinging above the door was almost the same pitch as the noise Tsugumi made. Jumping up from her seat, she fixed her eyes on the sodden mess standing in the doorway - this mess being none other than Sayo Hikawa.  
"My apologies… Tsugumi," She panted, clearly out of breath, "But I couldn't stand being out in that any longer." Shutting the door, Sayo sighed heavily, evidently annoyed with both herself and the weather.  
"What were you doing out in this?" Tsugumi asked tentatively, grabbing some nearby dishtowels - they wouldn't do much, but there wasn't much else to use. "It's been raining for a long time now."  
Sayo nodded, "I was supposed to meet up with Ako after our group's rehearsal over at CiRCLE." She paused, a look as stormy as the clouds outside passing over her face. "I did not."  
"Ah." Tsugumi didn't think to question her, instead handing her the towels, "Is this okay?" Slowly wringing her hair out into the towel, Sayo nodded once more, drying her face as well as her clothes as best she could. "You could always leave your jacket on the radiator if you wanted it dry?"  
"Oh, thank you." Sayo passed the soaked jacket over to her, "… Sorry."  
"No worries." Tsugumi smiled, walking over to the radiator while Sayo found herself a seat, "It should be alright in a few-" Another crash of thunder echoed through the sky, a flash of lightning forcing the room a brief white. 

In less than a second Tsugumi had shrank to the floor, the jacket in a sodden pile in front of her.  
"… Hazawa?" Sayo glanced up from the table, confused, "What are you doing down there? Did you fall?" With no response, she stood up from her seat and hurriedly made her way over to the shivering Tsugumi. Crouching down next to her, she realised that she had no idea what to do next. Comforting people was not Sayo's area of expertise, as most could tell. Slowly, she reached out her hand and placed it on top of Tsugumi's head, hoping it could calm her down. Instead, she shot back up from the floor so fast, she immediately fell back down again with a yelp - at least now they were both equally startled.  
"S- Sayo," Tsugumi managed to laugh, "Your hand is freezing."  
"Ah." She hadn't thought about that, "My apologies, I- I'm not really used to comforting others." Nodding with a nervous smile, Tsugumi tried to stand up once again. Once she was steady, she reached for the jacket and placed it on top of the radiator.  
"No, I understand. I'm sorry, I-" She stopped, looking down in shame, "I don't really enjoy this kind of weather. Especially the thunder."  
"It certainly seems that way." Sayo crossed her arms, looking out of the café's window. "I can't say it's particularly pleasant to be out in, but I don't mind watching it from indoors. I tend to prefer this cooler weather over the hot days, anyway." Tsugumi hummed to herself, unconvinced. She stood next to Sayo, eyebrows furrowed.  
"I've always hated storms. The constant rumbling and the flashes of lightning…" She trailed off, looking miserable. "It's just too much." Sayo, desperate to stop her from looking so down, instead opted for a more analytical approach.  
"Well, your fear mustn't come from loud noises," She mused, as Tsugumi looked up at her, "you are Afterglow's keyboardist, after all. It would be hard for you to be in a band at all, if it was the noise you were afraid of."  
"True," Tsugumi agreed, "although… if it were for Ran and the others, I think I could push past that." Surprised, Sayo tore her eyes from the rain outside.  
"What makes you so sure?" She asked, sounding a little more demanding than she would have liked. Undeterred, Tsugumi went on. "They’re my friends. They've helped me for so long now - we've been together as a band for such a long time too - if they needed my help with something like that, I'd be more than happy to join them. Even if I was afraid, I wouldn't be happy with myself knowing I could have been there for them when I chose not to be."  
"… If you could have been there for someone…" Sayo murmured, more to herself than Tsugumi.  
"But it wouldn’t have been instant, I know that much." She continued, the smile returning to her face, "Nobody could overcome a fear just like that. But no matter how long it would take me," Tsugumi fixed her eyes on the growing storm clouds, "I'm certain I could do it for them." 

Almost immediately, a second crash of lightning descended, just as pure and bright as the last. And once again, Tsugumi found her knees swiftly give way to the sudden strike. More alert this time, Sayo shot forward and instantly reached out to catch her, hooking an arm around her waist before she fell - her face turning a slight red as she did so.  
"Ah-" Tsugumi stammered, feeling just as embarrassed, too caught off guard to remain afraid of the lightning.  
"Sorry, I-" Sayo paused, seemingly frozen in position. "I just-" She shook her head, her regular serious expression returning. "Are you alright?"  
"I'm fine," Tsugumi smiled slightly, "thanks for taking my mind off the storm."  
"Oh," Sayo stepped backwards, her arm still unmoving, "that wasn't really my plan, but… you're welcome." The two stood in silence for a moment, both looking into each other's eyes. Sayo was the first to break away, sitting herself down at the nearest table. Still silent, Tsugumi slowly sat herself down opposite her, wondering why she had felt so nervous just a few seconds ago. Neither of them spoke for a few more minutes, Sayo glaring down at the table, with Tsugumi frantically thinking of a conversation topic.  
Unexpectedly, Sayo rose her head. "Do you really believe that?" She asked, staring at her resolutely.  
Tsugumi blinked. "Believe what?" Sayo sighed, crossing her arms over the table top.  
"You said you would be there for Afterglow even if it meant overcoming your biggest fear. Did you mean that?"  
Tsugumi nodded carefully, "Why wouldn’t I?"  
A puzzled look on her face, Sayo went on. "I don’t understand it."  
"Wouldn’t you do the same for Roselia?"  
"Well-" She stopped, and for a brief moment a smile passed over her face, "Of course. They require complete devotion in order for us to succeed."  
Tsugumi tilted her head, unsure. "Well, okay. But besides devotion, would you still have a motive to change?"  
Again, there was silence. Hoping she hadn't dampened the mood, Tsugumi went to change the subject, but Sayo stopped her.  
"I'm sure that I would - the rest of the members of Roselia are far too dear to me to ever abandon them. I'm sorry for inconveniencing you like this, Tsugumi. For bursting in so rudely, and startling you, and now talking to you about my own problems. I hope I'm not-" Sayo couldn’t finish that sentence, before Tsugumi interrupted her.  
"No!" She said firmly, "None of this has been an inconvenience. It's good to talk about things like that, and- and I'd love it if you'd talk to me more." Ignoring the heat rising to her cheeks, she went on, "There's nothing wrong with it, Sayo. Please, tell me." Taking all of what she said in, Sayo nodded and gave her a thankful smile, a rare sight to see coming from her.  
"Well, if I'm not taking up your time…" Sayo settled herself into her seat, "I'll try to keep this brief." 

"You say that your friends have always been there for you. That they comforted you, and gave you support. And that you would repay that with your own help. I just…" She held her hands together in front of her, "I'm reminded of my sister. Of Hina. Of the times I could have helped her." The rain was slowly subsiding, the lightning reduced to a quiet rumble of thunder from the brightening storm clouds. "For so long, I resented her kindness. Her longing to be close again, like we used to be. And during that time, I feel as though I resented myself as well - for knowing that she only wanted to reach out to me, but only focusing on doing my best to outshine her."  
Tsugumi listened intently, eyes fixed worriedly on Sayo.  
"I know that I've changed, that we're slowly growing closer than before. But she-" Her voice seemed to wobble slightly, "She surpassed me in everything. She still does. Her guitar skills, her schoolwork, and now her compassion- they all outmatch my own." Raising a hand to her eyes, she tried to look away from Tsugumi. "I pushed her away purely to make myself feel superior, to make myself feel like the better person - that isn’t love. She was the one that could love. Just once, I'd like to match that kindness of hers. I know that I'm sometimes inept at the simplest of problems, but-"  
"You already have."  
"… Pardon?"  
Tsugumi rose from her chair, and pulled Sayo from her seat into a hug. "You can't really think that about yourself, Sayo. I won't let you."  
Stunned, she nervously wrapped her arms around Tsugumi as she had done to Sayo.  
"Just because you don’t always know how to react to something doesn’t mean that you aren't showing kindness." She said, holding her closer, "You're growing too Sayo, at your own pace. Just earlier you did your best to comfort me when I was afraid. And yes, your hand was cold, but it was there." And closer. "You were there."  
"I-" She didn't know what to say. "I was."  
Tsugumi laughed, "You were. And I really - really, Sayo - hope that you will be for as long as I know you."  
"I will be." She said, declaring those words before she'd even thought of a response. "But- but I wasn't. Not just for Hina, but for my other friends as well."  
"And now you know different." Tsugumi pressed on, "Now you recognise what you need to do to prevent that from happening again - but also that the love others give you shouldn't be taken for granted. You know that. I know that. And so does Hina; we both know she's smart enough to grasp that."  
Laughing, Sayo absentmindedly ran her hand through Tsugumi's short hair. The storm had nearly passed.  
"You're right. Tsugumi, you… thank you. For listening. For being here."  
"Of course, Sayo - anytime." 

Neither of the girls mentioned how they had stood there hugging for the next few minutes, nor how difficult it had been to let go of each other's hands when they eventually broke away. But even with the sky a pale grey, the mood in the café had lightened considerably. And as Tsugumi had handed Sayo her nearly dry jacket back, as they had said their now-happy goodbyes, she knew that it wouldn't be long before Sayo returned to the café. And this time, she wouldn't be running from the storm. And even if she was, Tsugumi would be more than ready to drive it away.


End file.
